Tag: Accumulator betting system explained

You might have heard people talk about what bets have they got lined up for the weekend, how they believe all of their bets will win and with that the absurd amount of money they will receive. Well if you heard that, they were probably talking about accumulator betting, which has become widely popular in the last two decades. By wide public, it’s a bet which can yield huge profits with little investment. It sounds appealing, right?

Sometimes things that are popular and appealing don’t mean they are worth our time and money, but where do Accumulator bets stand? In this article, we will look at the pros and cons of accumulator betting and of course exactly what accumulator bet is.

Accumulator betting is a betting term used to describe a single bet that includes at least 4 other bets or selections. While this description is 100% correct, it’s not used by common people, instead, most of the people describe accumulators as bets with 2 or more selections. Both descriptions are kind of true, however, bets with 2 and 3 bets have their own name; Doubles and Trebles.

Types of Accumulator bets

2 selections – Double

3 selections – Treble

4 selections – Four-Fold Accumulator

5 selections – Five-Fold Accumulator

6 selections – Six-Fold Accumulator

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What is an Accumulator bet?

The most important difference between an accumulator bet and a single bet is that in a single bet only 1 selection must come true for you to win the bet, while in an accumulator all selections must come true for it to give you any return.

You might ask yourself; why would I bet on more selections, if there is obviously fewer chances I will win the bet? While accumulator bets require you to win all the selections, they also provide you with much higher returns if you manage to do so. Let’s look at an example of an accumulator bet with 4 selections.

Milan to beat Empoli 1.50

Espanyol to beat Huesca 1.72

Sevilla to beat Barcelona 3.50

Torino to beat Atalanta 3.20

1.50 x 1.72 x 5.50 x 3.20 = 28.56

Odds: 28.56

As you can see the odds are much higher if we combine all the events together. In our case, if we were to bet 10€ on this accumulator and win, we would get 285.6€, which is 275.6€ of profit! Risking 10€ for 275€ profit does not sound that bad, does it? That’s the magic in the accumulator bet and what makes it so appealing, as it represents a low stake and potentially high return. With the “only” con being; lower chances of winning the bet.

With little at stake and high returns at a lower chance of success, the final and the most important question needs to be answered: is it worth using accumulator bets?

While they offer high returns, the chances of winning multiple selections are drastically lower than winning only 1 selection. There are 2 kinds of people in the world; those that think accumulator bets are ok, and those who disagree. The real answer is somewhere in between. Accumulator bets, under right circumstances, can prove to be worth using. It all comes down to the value of the bets you combine in an accumulator.

Value in bets

Understanding what value in betting is, proved to be the best weapon a professional bettor can have for a long term success. Any professional bettor must understand the difference between the teams’ chances of winning and the chances of the team winning in comparison to odds offered. Explaining value bets is a long and somewhat tedious process, which is why it deserves its own article. So let’s only briefly mention what value is for a better understanding of accumulator bets.

If a bet has a 50% chance to win and the bookmakers offer odds higher than 2.0, there is value in the bet. In our example, the bookmaker will offer odds of 2.1.

If bookmaker believes there is a (1/2.1) 0.47 or 47% probability the team will win, and you know there is a 50% chance the team will end up victorious you have found a value bet. In simple terms, if you find a bookmaker underestimate a team chances of winning, there is value in betting on that match or even combine it with another bet to make an accumulator.

Are accumulator bets worth using?

I’ll answer that with a question. Let’s assume you have found 2 bets with a value, which we talked about before, should you use an accumulator bet to combine those 2 selections? The answer is simple: Yes.

If 2 matches have a value they don’t magically lose it when you combine them. Two wrongs don’t make a right, just like two right don’t make a wrong.

Using accumulator bets comes down to picking your battles. In our case picking out the right bets to combine, thus potentially increasing your returns. At the end of the day, if you are successful in finding values in bets, accumulator betting is something you can try. But keep in mind, single bets are safer, despite the fact they offer lower returns.